Charge/Fee Reviews

“  In December I transferred apartments and did not receive a bill. After not Receving a bill f or almost two months I went online and paid the bill. I also signed up for ebill. After signing up I clicked on the screen for my account information I discovered that they changed my service address and nit my mailing address. In April I was sitting in my room and the lights go out. I discovered that they were cut off due to non payment. This happened without receiving a paper bill, ebill or disconnect notice. Disconnection notices are required under the law. I did not contact Green Mountain and I should have. I just took care of the bill. Well about a month later I get a call while at work from my disabled father who resides with me that the lights are off again. I paid the bill. I did go online and sent an e-mail via there customer service. A couple of hours later I did receive a response. They said it did not show I was signed up for ebill and fixed it were I will receive ebills and paper bills. They also waived the fees associated with the disconnection. I will be contacting them to see if they are going to waive the one from April. ”

“  Been with Reliant for forty years but feel it is now time to move on at the end of the current plan. This month my electricity usage was $90.00 and the transmission and other charges dinged me for another $50.00. I haven't seen such high charges for transmission since I have been on this current horrible plan. I am a senior so I am concerned. ”

“  Here are a few things to expect from most energy companies:1. After your contract ends, the energy company will send you a notification of your rate increasing to a variable rate (which usually translates to 2-3 cents higher/kWh by a certain date). They are supposed to notify you of this change. I've noticed as a customer, we get short-changed of one month from the contract rate (if you signed for 7 cents for 6 months, you'll only get that for 5 months). Then your rate goes up significantly if you don't call to change to a cheaper contract 2. Most companies have this basic $9.95/mo charge if you don't meet a certain kWh, usually 1000 kWh. That will pose a problem in those more temperate months like in the spring and fall because although you're paying lower kWh,you're paying that extra $9.95/mo for no reason. ASK YOUR ENERGY PROVIDER WHAT THE LIMIT IS. I got a minimum of 800kWh/mo with Reliant; if I go under 800kWh, I will have to pay $9.95. Good thing about Reliant is that they do a weekly energy usage report, and you can keep up with how much you may owe. That's pretty useful to me, considering I live in a smaller space, thus less usage.3. Make sure to ask about any extra fees you should be aware of. That's how a few cheap energy companies can get you. For instance, ask if there are new connection fees, activation fees, month-to-month fees - pretty much ask them how does their offer compare to other companies. Although Reliant is not the cheapest company, they are relatively helpful when it comes to electronic notifications and online billing. Their customer service seems to be confused most of the time, but bilingual (spanish and english, useful in Texas). They aren't hard to get a hold of like other companies people have complained about. I've had them for a year now, and although my electricity isn't that cheap, it's comparable to other companies I could have went with. Every 6 months, though, I have to call and change my plan to another 6 month contract to keep costs "low." People are more likely to post negative reviews than positive reviews - for every one positive review, there is probably 5 more negative reviews for energy companies. Just keep that in mind because everyone's negative personal experience has actually gotten me to ask these companies the right questions on what to expect. ”

“  The therm price is lower but additional fees add it right back up. ”